“Sister Act” at Omaha Community Playhouse: Two UNO students take up lead roles

“Sister Act” is the musical comedy based on the 1992 film by the same name and is currently performing at the Omaha Community Playhouse with two University of Nebraska at Omaha students in lead roles.

The play follows the story of night club singer Deloris Van Cartier who witnesses a crime she shouldn’t have. In a pinch she finds herself at the police station ready to relay her situation. It’s there that she encounters an old friend from high school, ‘Sweaty’ Eddie, who now is a police officer.

Deloris is ushered into the Witness Protection Program for her own safety and taken to the one place Eddie believes she will be safe: a convent by the name of The Holy Order of the Little Sisters of Our Mother of Perpetual Faith. This stark change of environment throws Deloris into a whole new world where she changes and is changed by those around her.

It is these two characters, Deloris and Eddie, that are portrayed by two students currently enrolled at UNO. Zhomontee Watson, a 20-year-old psychology major with a minor in theater, plays the role of Deloris Van Cartier.

‘Sweaty’ Eddie is played by Marcel Daly who is currently double majoring in saxophone and vocal performance.

Watson and Daly have previously performed together in the Rose’s production of the “Little Mermaid” this past summer.

“The show is much bigger than a show girl who gets put into a church,” Watson said while elaborating on the show’s plot.

“It’s about a woman who’s all about herself.”

Watson described her character of Deloris as absolutely fabulous and undeterred by outside opinion. She explained how she saw the story develop around a character that is so confident in the things she does.

Regarding the message of “Sister Act,” Watson said, “It’s a lesson in itself that it’s not just you. That you need people to guide and help you along your way.”

Eddie experiences his own journey throughout the course of performance according to Daly.

Eddie earns his unfortunate nickname for being nervous and sweating. Daly described the character’s conflict as being an internal struggle with whether to become someone more outgoing or stay the ‘Sweaty’ Eddie everyone knows.

“He’s not quite as loud as Deloris, but he kind of wants to be like that,” Daly said. “He admires that about Deloris.”

“Sister Act” is directed by the Omaha Community Playhouse’s artistic director Kimberly Hickman. Hickman recently moved to Omaha after living in New York for the past eight years.

Hickman encouraged students to not only attend the upcoming performances taking place at the playhouse but to also attend auditions. Watson and Daly echo her support and both encourage students interested in the performing arts,regardless of experience level, to dive into auditions with an upbeat attitude.

“I love working with students so I hope more UNO students decide to come out,” Hickman said on the creation of future casts.

In the remainder of the 2016-2017 performance season at the playhouse Hickman will direct all the mainstage musicals, which include “A Christmas Carol,” “Rock of Ages” and “Beauty and the Beast.”